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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

August 2011 Round Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?Still plugging away at Wuthering Heights. Less than 50 pages to go. Still not enjoying it.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?* TV Time: Was up very late one night not sleeping, so tried Franklin and Bash (it was okay; prefer Suits) and Memphis Beat (surprisingly good, though Alfre Woodard needs to work on her accent; might try it again). In Plain Sight is done for the season, with one final season to go. Still going with The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. Watched LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers; not good for adults, but Luke loves it.* New Films: another big list, so let's go with bullets again:- Cowboys & Aliens: okay; seen better, seen worse- Pride and Prejudice: Colin Firth version; stopped after 3 hours of it, not really "getting" it- Despicable Me: a couple of cute moments, but mostly not my taste in humor- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the Second Dimension: really cute, lots of great touches and references to various episodes- The Mark of Zorro: 1920 Douglas Fairbanks; interesting from a historical and technique perspective, but a little boring as a film- West Side Story: Good, but a bit long. I had seen probably 70% of it in bits and pieces, but never the whole thing at one time.- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: not bad, better than much kiddie fare- Knight and Day: not great, not bad; better than I expected (I did not have high hopes), and cuter than it had any right to be- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: um, okay.... truly a bizarre movie, but I'm sure the book is equally bizarre- The A-Team: eh; some cute moments, but mostly just blah* Old Favorites: An American Tail: Feival Goes West, How to Train Your Dragon, Psycho, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Chicago, Tron, Chicken Little, Robin Hood (Disney), The Dark Crystal, Stargate

What special days did I celebrate and how?DH's birthday, just did cards (had been to a movie earlier in the week). Also sent little brother cards for his birthday.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?Don't really think there were any.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?Don't really think there were any. (Yay!)

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?Don't really think there were any. (That's sad, but things were so crazy with school starting and the job thing.)

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?Tried the Keebler Samoa knock-offs; not perfect, but close enough for when you get a craving between cookie seasons. Also tried basmati rice, which is wonderful. Made a Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit clone recipe; again, not perfect, but easy and in the ball park, and most importantly, Luke loved them!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?Bought my first 2011 Christmas gifts! And the usual back to school stuff.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?Had really super bad day, just total meltdown; apparently more stressed than I thought. But that stress resolved itself (and created a new kind) when I was offered a job!

What were my accomplishments this month?I think the only 101 Things Item I completed was this one:

18. Watch Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version; counts towards 30). After 3 hours of it, I simply gave up. I really don't see what the big deal is; I found it rather boring. I'm sure someone will say that I needed to see it through to the end, but I just wasn't feeling it, and I didn't feel it was worth sitting through another 4-5 hours.

I spent all my creative juices on Behavioropoly. It's working okay, though not as well as I hoped. Part of the problem is just remembering to actually do it with everything going on, particularly....

My new job! Not sure that's really an accomplishment, though in a way, I suppose it is, since it is basically good word of mouth from several people who got me the job (and I guess I earned/accomplished earning their good will). I start September 1.

I joined two free online "services." One is Spotify, basically a free cloud of music. I haven't used it a ton, but so far they've had everything I have searched for (primarily Broadway and Josh Groban). The other is Pinterest (blog post about it here), which is a "visual bookmarking sight." I am totally and completely in love, and I have already wasted spent countless hours there. So much good stuff! And I got my first physical stickers printed from GetGlue, which I am ridiculously proud of, LOL.

I've also been cooking a lot and quite enjoying the food, if not the cooking process itself. Restaurant food just doesn't taste as good as it used to. I guess that's an accomplishment! LOL I'm sure it contributed to the fact that I can now wear the shirts I bought back in the spring that shrank in the wash, to the point that I couldn't wear them in June. They fit great now. :-)

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

The primary Luke accomplishment was starting First Grade. We really liked his teacher on first impressions, and we've seen nothing so far to dissuade us from that opinion. His reading is coming along, though not as swiftly as I'd like. The desire/ability to pay attention is truly his biggest enemy.

Soccer practice has also started back for the Fall 2011 season. Only one practice so far, and it went okay. We have 5 kids returning from our previous team (4 of whom, including Luke, who are now on their 3rd team together; it is so nice to already know half the kids and the parents). The accomplishment will come over the coming months, with surviving twice a week practices! We shall see.

Anything else noteworthy to record?It was hot hot hot this month, around 100F/38C (give or take) for more of the month than not. I also did not feel the Virginia earthquake, though some friends who work in high rises in downtown Atlanta reported feeling it.